PARIS. – Those French senators, who signed the appeal against the bill that criminalizes the denial of the genocides—including the Armenian Genocide—which is sent to the French Constitutional Council, are influenced by Turkey, Rhône-Alpes regional MP Hilda Tchoboian told Armenian News-NEWS.am. 

In her words, this appeal bespeaks Turkey’s influence on France’s domestic politics. “The ambassador personally petitioned, with a letter, to all the senators who had voted against this bill, and called upon them to collect the number signatures needed to appeal to the Constitutional Council,” Tchoboian said, adding that this appeal is unnatural and a result of Turkish influence.        

As per Hilda Tchoboian, “numerous experts of Constitution have expressed their views regarding the law, and said it does not run counter to the Basic law. But some political considerations may lead to the Council’s declaring of the law null and void, especially since many of its members, including the Constitutional Council President Jean-Louis Debré, are against this initiative.”

The French Constitutional Council accepted, on Tuesday, the  aforesaid appeal which was signed by 72 French senators.

To note, with a vote of 127 in favor and 86 against, France’s Senate passed on January 23 the bill that criminalizes the denial of the genocides which this country has formally recognized. And these are the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust. This bill sets a one-year prison sentence plus a 45-thousand-Euro fine for anyone who denies these genocides.